Star Wars 9: Emperor Palpatine to RETURN? How his ‘death’ may have been FAKE

The latest instalment of animated TV show Star Wars Rebels introduced time travel into canon, as character Ezra went to the so-called World Between Worlds.

This enabled him to see and hear across time and space, and – crucially – to save Ahsoka from being killed by Darth Vader.

The portals can’t be used freely, however: Ezra also wanted to go through a portal to save Kanan, only to be warned that that would create a paradox; in that Kanan died saving the life of Ezra.

But how does this link to Palpatine and his demise in Return of the Jedi?

Reddit user Animation_Bat has a nifty theory, writing of the latest Rebels episode: “He’s [Palpatine] able to open a portal into the World Between Worlds, but he can only see and hear through it. He’s standing over blue force fire which he sends through the portal after Ezra and Ahsoka.

“The fire grabs Ezra by the leg and the Emperor is then able to briefly reach his arm through the portal before Ahsoka frees Ezra. Ahsoka goes back to her timeline, Ezra goes back to his, and the Emperor is unable to get in. Ezra seals the only known gateway into this realm, and then the gateway is destroyed.

“Being able to have access to the World Between Worlds would make it a more powerful weapon than the Death Star. It not only allows him to travel backward and forward through time and space, it can allow him to see who his enemies are, where they are, and what they’re planning.

“However, it’s a one way trip if you go completely through a portal, the gateway (which is now destroyed) is the only portal that allows you to get in. As of right now, there doesn’t seem to be a way for anyone to ever get back to the World Between Worlds. However, the Emperor was powerful enough to create a link to Ezra while he was in the realm, and nearly got in by using his blue force fire.

“I’m sure that in the years between this episode and Return of the Jedi, the Emperor spent time trying to find a way in.”

They added: “As for why I don’t think the Emperor died in Return of the Jedi, it’s because his death involved disappearing after an explosion of blue force fire.

“The large blue explosion engulfs the entire shaft he was thrown down. Oddly, it doesn’t cause any damage to the surrounding area.

“I think this is the same blue energy that allowed the Emperor to enter the World Between Worlds. This is where he disappeared to at the end of Return of the Jedi.

“To avoid a paradox, he chose a portal to the future: after the death of Snoke and Luke. Maybe even after the death of Kylo Ren.”

Palpatine’s return has often been rumoured, with some even theorising that he was Snoke – although this can now presumably be ruled out.